The S&P 500 is headed for resistance at 1575, after repeated tests of support at 1540. Breakout above 1575 would test 1600*, but reversal below 1540 remains as likely and would warn of a correction. Although ripe for a correction, 13-week Twiggs Momentum troughs above zero continue to reflect a strong primary up-trend.
* Target calculation: 1475 + ( 1475 – 1350 ) = 1600
The yield on 10-year Treasury Notes retreated below 2.00%. Falling bond yields indicate the expected time horizon for low short-term interest rates is lengthening — a negative reflection on the economy.
The first line of support for $TNX is 1.70%; breach would signal another attempt at 1.40%. Bullish divergence on 13-week Twiggs Momentum indicates that a base is forming and primary support is unlikely to be broken.
The S&P 500 retreated from its 2007 high at 1575.
* Target calculation: 1530 + ( 1530 – 1485 ) = 1575
Bearish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow continues to warn of mild selling pressure. Breach of support at 1530 — and the rising trendline — would warn of a correction.
The Russell 2000 Index is stronger, having broken clear of its 2007 high at 860. A correction that respects the new support level (860) would confirm a strong primary up-trend.
While there are structural flaws in the US economy, QE from the Fed has forced investors to increase risk in search of yield. The current advance shows no signs of ending.
Gideon Rachman points out in Financial Times that the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD), employed by the West in nuclear confrontations, assumes a rational adversary:
In many respects, North Korea has replicated some of the very worst features of Maoist China: the isolation from the outside world, the labour camps, the cult of personality and the willingness to tolerate mass starvation at home. The latter is particularly chilling, when one remembers that nuclear deterrence is meant to rely on an unwillingness to accept the death of millions of your compatriots.
Read more at North Korea tests the limits of a MAD world | Business Spectator.
Ralph Benko shares an insight on US healthcare from columnist Warren Brookes on Forbes:
Brookes shared an indelible insight. He observed that it was possible to provide good health care at an affordable cost through the free market, rationing it by price. And it was possible to provide good health care at an affordable cost by the government through state agencies, rationing it by thoughtful policy. And that America had managed to create a monstrous hybrid of the two, the worst possible system: lousy care at unaffordable prices.
Read more at Mitch McConnell Prepares To Give Barack Obama The Political Shellacking Of A Lifetime – Forbes.
Yves Smith reports on attempts to undermine the Volcker Rule and why the rule is so important:
In the US, depositors have actually been put in a worse position than Cyprus deposit-holders, at least if they are at the big banks that play in the derivatives casino. The regulators have turned a blind eye as banks use their depositaries to fund derivatives exposures. And as bad as that is, the depositors, unlike their Cypriot confreres, aren’t even senior creditors. Remember Lehman? When the investment bank failed, unsecured creditors (and remember, depositors are unsecured creditors) got eight cents on the dollar. One big reason was that derivatives counterparties require collateral for any exposures, meaning they are secured creditors. The 2005 bankruptcy reforms made derivatives counterparties senior to unsecured lenders.
Read more at When You Weren’t Looking, Democrat Bank Stooges Launch Bills to Permit Bailouts, Deregulate Derivatives « naked capitalism.
The euro is headed for a test of primary support at $1.26 on the monthly chart. Respect would confirm the primary up-trend, while failure would signal a down-swing to $1.20.
* Target calculation: 1.35 + ( 1.35 – 1.20 ) = 1.50
Pound sterling is testing the new medium-term resistance level at $1.53 against the dollar. Respect would confirm the primary down-trend, with a target of $1.43*. Declining 63-day Twiggs Momentum, below its 2011 lows, strengthens the signal.
* Target calculation: 1.53 – ( 1.63 – 1.53 ) = 1.43
The Aussie Dollar retraced this week to test short-term support at $1.04, but the up-trend is intact and we should expect a test of resistance at $1.06. Failure of support at $1.03 is unlikely, but would warn that primary support at $1.015 is again under threat. Narrow fluctuation of 63-day Twiggs Momentum around zero suggests a ranging market.
Canada’s Loonie rallied off medium-term support at $0.97 against the greenback. Expect some resistance at $0.99, but the CAD is just as likely to test the descending trendline at parity. The primary trend remains down and a test of primary support at $0.96 remains on the cards in the next quarter.
The US dollar is encountering increased resistance as it approaches ¥100 against the Japanese Yen. The 30-year down-trend is over. The advance is extended and a correction likely, but breakout above ¥100 would test the 2007 high above ¥120*.
* Target calculation: 100 – ( 100 – 80 ) = 120
The S&P 500 managed to close at a new high, with most fund managers reporting good results for the quarter, but does this signal a new bull market or a last-gasp effort to lock in performance bonuses before the market subsides into a correction?
While markets may be rising, there is strong risk aversion.
“@bespokeinvest: Utilities P/E now up to 16.75, higher than the P/Es of Tech, Financials, Industrials, Health Care, Energy and Materials.”
— Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) March 28, 2013
This is definitely not a classic bull market.
One also needs to be wary of September and March quarter-ends. They often represent significant turning points, with new highs (red arrows) and new lows (green arrows) frequently proving unsustainable.
* Target calculation: 1530 + ( 1530 – 1485 ) = 1575
While there is no sign of divergence on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow, which would indicate unusual selling pressure, it is important to remain vigilant over the next quarter rather than blindly follow the herd. Bearish (TMF) divergence or reversal of the S&P 500 below 1500 would warn of a correction.
The S&P 500 continues to find support above 1540 on the daily chart. Breakout above 1565 would signal another advance. A higher trough on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow would indicate medium-term buying pressure. Breach of the rising trendline is unlikely at present but would warn of a correction. Target for the current advance is 1600*.
* Target calculation: 1530 + ( 1530 – 1485 ) = 1575
VIX Volatility Index remains near its 2005 lows at 0.10. This does not offer much reassurance as volatility can rapidly spike. Breakout above the quarterly high at 0.20 would be a warning sign.
Bellwether transport stock Fedex dipped below $100 after an earnings disappointment. Reversal below the rising trendline at $85 would warn that the broader economy is slowing.
The Nasdaq 100 continues to struggle with resistance at 2800. Declining relative strength against the S&P 500 illustrates how blue chips are being favored over tech stocks. Bearish divergences on both 13-week Twiggs Momentum and 13-week Twiggs Money Flow warn of another correction. Reversal below the latest rising trendline would strengthen the signal. Follow-through above 2900 is unlikely at present, but would signal an advance to 3300*. Only breach of primary support at 2500 would signal a reversal.
* Target calculation: 2900 + ( 2900 – 2500 ) = 3300
While there are structural flaws in the US economy, the market is gaining momentum and the current advance shows no signs of ending.
William C. Martel concludes his series, highlighting the lack of a cohesive US grand strategy, with this summary:
A strategic weakness with American foreign policy is the deep and enduring political polarization in Washington that complicates, and often paralyzes, U.S. policymaking. While the United States once conducted its foreign policy on a bipartisan basis, we now see divisions on virtually all issues. Washington’s failure to move beyond this polarized environment puts at risk its ability to act with one voice on foreign policy. Essentially, it puts at risk the entire enterprise of grand strategy because a deeply divided nation cannot implement its resources and interests effectively.
By definition, American grand strategy demands that policymakers and politicians take the long view. While it is an enduring challenge for policymakers in Washington to look beyond the next election, the nation has no choice. It must build a grand strategy that addresses how the United States deals with the future that extends beyond the coming months or years. Abroad, the nation must work with other states and institutions to shape the secure international order that all states desperately need. The alternative is a world marked by uncertainty, fear, and strife.
Read more at For America, Decline is a Choice | The Diplomat.
The Committee continues to see downside risks to the economic outlook. The Committee also anticipates that inflation over the medium term likely will run at or below its 2 percent objective.
To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at the rate most consistent with its dual mandate, the Committee decided to continue purchasing additional agency mortgage-backed securities at a pace of $40 billion per month and longer-term Treasury securities at a pace of $45 billion per month. The Committee is maintaining its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction. Taken together, these actions should maintain downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, support mortgage markets, and help to make broader financial conditions more accommodative.
